Known cruise control systems have been developed to set a ground speed of vehicle. These known cruise control systems are often employed on work vehicles such as floaters, construction vehicles and the like to maintain an optimum speed during lengthy work trips (e.g., plowing, mowing, hauling, etc.). There are certain circumstances where it is necessary to temporarily drive with a lower speed and then resume driving at the optimum speed. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following: turning on the headlands when mowing, where narrow turns have to made and where it is often necessary to drive back and forth; driving faster over bare areas when mowing; and driving downhill when hauling heavy loads.
In particular, a certain known cruise control system has been developed in regulating the ground speed of a floater. Upon activation of this certain known cruise control system, the operator can set an engine speed (i.e. rpm) within a range, and then the transmission would shift through the gears to reach the desired ground speed (engine speed combined with gear equals ground speed). This certain known cruise control system also includes a deceleration mode where the floater automatically slows to a predetermined ground speed to avoid undesired sliding or rutting of the field. This deceleration mode is typically employed when turning the floater around a corner. When the deceleration mode is activated, the system automatically slows the engine speed to a predetermined value, and then the transmission automatically calculates the gear or shifts through the gears to reach the desired ground speed. Upon completion of the turn, the operator deactivates the deceleration mode and the engine resumes to the full preset engine speed.
However, this certain known cruise control system as described above has several drawbacks. For example, even though the transmission can shift down gears on demand, the transmission is known to “hang in gear” and not automatically downshift when the power demand of the engine is low (e.g., light load, firm ground, etc.). When the transmission hangs in gear, the engine is known to propel the floater too fast around turns and causes undesired sliding or rutting of the soil. In response, the operator must manually downshift the transmission, which eases lugging of the engine and slows down the ground speed of the floater. The operator can also deactivate the deceleration mode of the cruise control system, but this defeats the purpose of the deceleration mode feature.
Therefore, there is a need or desire for an enhanced vehicular speed control system that addresses the drawbacks described above. The control system should also be configured to be utilized with a wide variety of production vehicles in addition to those related to agriculture.